Is ‘American Horror Story’ Just Murder Porn?

Since it first premiered, American Horror Story has always been criticized for being too graphic. However, those criticisms have increased with the premiere of AHS: Cult. It’s only been six episodes, but we’ve already seen a woman being stabbed to death on live news, a man being murdered by his “friends” shooting nails into his head, and a terrifyingly realistic mass shooting. After a while it’s hard not to wonder, what’s the point of all this?

Most of the charms of Ryan Murphy’s most disturbing show comes from its balance of lovable misfits and gruesome deaths. It’s always the characters that lure viewers into the season — Murder House’s doe-eyed Violet (Taissa Farmiga), Asylum’s woefully sweet Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe), Hotel’s alluring and violent The Countess (Lady Gaga), or any character that Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, or Frances Conroy play. If there’s one thing Murphy and his writing staff know how to do well it’s write a outwardly fierce but inwardly vulnerable female lead, and American Horror Story is full of some truly fabulous ones.

That being said, even the most beloved AHS character comes with his or her flaws, and that’s where the series excels. For seven seasons now, AHS has established itself as a show that’s gleefully willing to explore the “freaks” and dark figures of our society. Each season seems to chorus the same lessons — there’s more to people than you know and if you discriminate against people, you’re breeding monsters. These ultimate lessons are partially why the show has largely gotten away with creating sympathetic school shooters and genuinely funny slave owners. It’s a show about the horrors we’ve inflicted on each other, either because of hostile upbringings, societal pressures, or a deep-seated and terrifying evil that seems to just exist in some people. But when the show is at its best, it explores the psychological causes and effects of those horrors through its 10 hours.

Photo: FX

In order for AHS’ delicate and approved form of disturbing onscreen violence to work, it all depends on its relatable characters, and that’s what puts the show’s seventh season in an odd position. There’s really no one to root for in American Horror Story: Cult. Minor spoilers ahead. In theory, we should be rooting for Sarah Paulson’s Ally. After all, at this point in the series she’s the only one not part of Kai’s (Evan Peters) murderous cult. However, Ally is consistently so dramatic and unstable, she’s a difficult protagonist to root for. It’s much more fun to watch Adina Porter’s nefarious and manipulative Beverly or Billy Eichner’s ever-entertaining Harrison. Without a clear hero, it may seem as if American Horror Story has devolved in showing torture and gore merely for torture and gore’s sake.

However, writing off this new season as soulless is a disservice to Cult. Whereas other seasons have focused on exploring the evils of America through beloved characters who stand as our victims, Cult is concerned with capturing the chaos of present-day America as a whole. There’s not a clear victim because society and America’s political system have failed every character in some way. Likewise, there’s not a clear villain (besides Kai) because everyone is responsible for its collapse.

Photo: FX

That’s why I enjoy this latest season so much after turning my nose up at Roanoke and Hotel. Watching Cult is like watching a show scream helplessly at our current political climate for an hour every week. It doesn’t really accomplish much. AHS offers no solutions to how Democrats and Republicans can unite in Trump’s America. There’s not even a silver lining in any of the episodes — most of the shows horrors have only gone from bad to worse. However, there’s something very comforting about watching a show that doesn’t try to preach about politics or ignore them. It merely agrees with your fear and anger. Just be happy the real version of Trump’s America hasn’t been written by Murphy.

And yet, underneath all of these political frustrations, there is a cautionary tale blooming around Cult’s edges. As this small Michigan town becomes more and more insane, Kai’s ominous pinky-based cult starts to make sense. We’re supposed to think that. We’re supposed to fall into Kai’s trap along with the supposedly smart citizens around him, and that’s the point. No one wakes up one day and decides to join a cult. This season is devoted to capturing the feelings of helplessness and insecurity that would lead people to consider joining a questionable organization all while showing just how toxic these organizations are. During these stressful times, that heavy-handed warning doesn’t feel unnecessary.

American Horror Story has always been a graphic show. In Asylum, Chloe Sevigny’s Shelley was experimented on, and the camera never looked away. In Coven, the show had no problem showing off Delphin LaLaurie’s (Bates) torture chamber for her slaves in one of the most sickening scene in television history. In Hotel,Matt Bomer’s Donovan was graphically raped on screen by a horn-shaped dildo. Any criticisms that the series is more violent this season than past seasons simply don’t hold up in my book. However, I will give AHS this. Without anyone to root for, this new season is certainly more disturbing, and that feels very intentional. Writing off this season as just an exercise in murder and torture porn is a mistake.

New episodes of American Horror Story: Cult premiere on FX Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.